Trip to Denmark

Aka Kui Kirsi viimaks lennujaama jõudis, oli “final call for the missing passenger” juba valjuhäädites käimas.

I am back from Denmark :). Life is an adventure as ever, so I had quite some nerve-wrecking moments on the way to Eindhoven airport on my way to Denmark, and only with EVERY persons help I finally made it. What happened was, that when planning my journey (2 busses, 3 trains) to the airport, I asked my friends how long they think it’ll take. They guessed that about 2 hours. To be sure, I used a Dutch website, which showed more or less the same. So I saved myself 3,5 hours and started going directly after the morning lecture. However, I don’t know if the trains were slower or delayed or what, but it took MUCH more time than two hours.

Luckily I didn’t have any luggage and had done online check in, but the gate to the plane opened, when I only arrived to the city of Eindhoven, from where I still had to take a bus trip to the airport. So already on the train I asked a girl if she knows the train station well, and can tell me where the bus stop is. Luckily she could. At the bus stop, there was a man whose job was to arrange people on the busses etc. I told him about my situation and that there’s only 25 minutes until the gate closes, he said the bus ride takes 20 minutes, so “don’t worry, you’ll make it”. Only that I had to miss the first bus to the airport, and take a next one, which should come in 2 minutes, because that drives a shorter route. I asked if taxi is faster, but he guessed it’s not as it was almost 17:00 and much traffic. So with heart banging out of my chest I let the first bus to airport drive away without me and stayed waiting. The man was very nice and kept telling me it’ll be alright. Then the right bus came, he led me on it and said to the bus driver how much in a hurry I was. The bus driver said to me that he can’t risk other peoples’ wellbeing and can’t arrive too early to stops, so there’s not much he can do for me, which I said is fine as he could probably only save me a minute and I needed much more. BUT. As soon as the last passenger got off the bus, he started going SO fast :D. Then he called me up to where he was, and started telling me about the airport. He said he will do something completely illegal and drive the bus in front of the airport where the taxis stop. Then as soon as the doors open, I should just run as fast as my feet can, to the furthest end of the airport (“but don’t worry, it’s a not that big, you will make it” ;)), so he did. I arrived like a queen to the main door of Eindhoven airport with a personal city bus and –driver. By that time it was 16:48 and the gate closed 16:50. So I got off the bus and ran like an insane person :D. Luckily, in the line for showing the boarding pass, before the security, about 70% of the line let me pass, but then there was a family who said I can’t pass them because everybody has to stand in the line. So when I finally showed my boarding pass it was 16:50 (and indeed, the final final call for the Missing passenger for flight to Cph was going). I asked the woman if I can still make it, but she said “no sorry, the gate is closed” to which I looked at her and asked “but..could we try?” she was quiet for a second, and then said “yeah sure! I see what I can do”.

So next stop security – I explained the situation again, but as the staff just said “do as fast as you can,” I stood to the end of the line, but then suddenly one of the workers ran to me, screaming: “Excuse me MISSS,  WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU’LL MISS YOUR FLIGHT!!,” so she grabbed my bag, passed all the line, pulled me with and basically threw my bag to the machine, then they all were pulling my coat and boots off, rushing me to the metal detector, gathering my laptop and liquids to the bag again, threw it back to me and went all together like “ruuuuuuuuun!!!!”. So I did. There were three workers at the gate (gate 1, thank God) waving to me as the recognized me, (it was 17:53, insane how slow time goes in situations like that), and said it had been no problem waiting for me. :).  As soon as I got into the plane, the doors were closed and it was moving even before I reached my seat.

Oh my something how crazy that was. Also cause I didn’t want to let Agnes in Copenhagen or anybody in Aarhus know, not to make them worried before they had to. And then my next instinct was calling to mum, but that was kind of the same way pointless. Luckily, I had helpful friends from Wageningen with me via cheering SMS-s, that I can do it. Huuh. And thanks to everybody, from the girl in the final train, to the man at the bus stop, the bus driver, the people in the lines and the airport workers, I did it. Crazy experience, and next time I’ll be going somewhere I’ll save the entire day :D.

Anyway, about the trip – Wednesday evening and Thursday with Agnes in Copenhagen were so nice. So good to see old friends and talk about our new lives. Train from Cph to Aarhus was annoying as ever – every time Im on that train, I am too excited to exist and caaaan’t wait to get off. But it was also nice to sit there and look at the familiar road. Many big thoughts of my life at different stages have been thought on that exact train route. Obviously, then, to make my waiting longer, there had been a traffic accident on the high way and we had to stop for about 30 min. By that time I couldn’t take the excitement anymore, gave up and fell asleep, only to wake up in good old Aarhus :)

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There’s a poster saying “Aarhus is not just a city, it’s a feeling”. And that’s so true. I had loads of good fun, ate good foods and met the best best people ever. Strange, but I think in Netherlands, I have been Aarhus-sick much more than homesick. And it was so lovely to know the local language, know where buses go, know what street is where, where to go and what to do. And I got so many hugs that there’d be probably ca 2 for every day I’ve been away from there :).

As uni is going and trip to Slovenia is waiting, I finally pulled myself together today, got on the train and left. Now I’m on my 12 hour train journey, which just got prolonged by an hour because of a train – delay, and now I have to see how my connecting trains are going to go. Hopefully it’ll work out.

There is always something special about leaving a new home town for the first time. As crazily as my leaving went, I still had time to think about it (especially in the start, when I was sure I have more than enough time for anything). It was so nice to be in Aarhus, too. And to think about it – for me it was much easier to move to Aarhus than it was to move to Wageningen. Somehow everything fell into place really quickly there and was exactly the kind of life I wished for. Wageningen is small. And slow, and quiet. And one’s entire existence evolves around the student life. Which is of course nice, but not at all what I am used to. When I left Aarhus, I had a job, money, boyfriend, friends – entire life. Now I’m in Wageningen, live in my little container-home, study six times harder than I ever have in Denmark, and still get only half as good grades. Whereas all my friends in Aarhus are still enjoying the cool life, and Agnes lives in Copenhagen, where there’s so much to do and life is definitely bigger than uni. So..it wasn’t that easy to head back for Wageningen. 

(Congratulations me! – I am now on the train that was 30 min delayed to start with, and we have just stopped the engine in the middle of nowhere and no one tells us what’s going on. Yay!)

Well anyway – I think that before I left Wageningen I felt way more happy about it, than I do now. However, I also feel that seeing all the autumn world passing kilometre after kilometre, my heart grows more and more calm and quiet, and I am actually already looking forward to getting back to the life in Wageningen. (uujee, and the train started going again :)) Even though I won’t have more than Thursday and Friday to be back there, I am looking forward. And then on Friday night me and Nathalie from my debating club will be heading for Amsterdam, to fly to Slovenia early on Saturday morning. I am so fed up with all the practical aspects of traveling, but really looking forward to that trip.

I also hope that it will take my mind off this (..the train stopped AGAIN) post-Denmark down being, and I also cant already wait to just having a quiet life in Wageningen after all the trips, only studying and doing well. (and it moves again :)).

So that kind of thoughts from late-autumn Europe and my life. I would sincerely like to thank the Dutch people for being SO lovely and helpful, and believing in me in my moments of panic, maintaining cold nerves and telling me that I’ll make it ( I know these specific people probably don’t read my blog :D, but anyway ). And confused or not confused – at least in my presentation about Wageningen UR at my old university in Aarhus, I recommended all the girls to come and study there – life is easy and at least you can get very smart if you try.

Sadly I was having too much fun to take photos in Denmark, but I will check if I have some, when I finally get there, and post this post.

I’ll write again after Slovenia, and wish you all the best!

Kirsi.

Pictures with me and Agnes ALWAYS end up looking like that

..and the best one is not much better

Selfymasters

and another great well captured party

p.s. I also had some time meanwhile to read my own blog. I am so embarrassed – 362 people read the post about survival run, and I only now noticed that I (just after bragging about being smart and a scientist), switched the words “horizontally” and “vertically” :/ :D:D. I am sorry about that and thought I’ll mention that actually I do know what these words mean.

That’s all. Be good and bye!